the village trilogy 1995

16mm, B&W
24 min
Photo Stacy Clark Baisley

Told through the bodies of eight dancers, the village trilogy is a moving and poetic portrayal of the search for home. The film alludes to the millions of people uprooted through emigration in the past century while reinterpreting the physical characteristics of early cinema: “…it is as if the old language is no longer adequate, as if a new way of being, and therefore of dancing, has to be invented.” (Gaby Aldor)
 
Heraled by Dance International Magazine as marking the beginning of the dancefilm boom in Canada, the village trilogy has been consistently presented internationally over the last 30 years. In 2002, the Los Angeles Times' critic Lewis Segal wrote: "For depth of feeling, photographic sensitivity and movement invention, the central (duet) portion of Laura Taler's 1995 'the village trilogy' may be the most memorable footage in the festival. ...[H]er mastery of choreography and direction is unquestioned."  

Awards:
Best Experimental Film, Toronto Worldwide Short Film Festival
Gold Hugo, Short Subject Experimental, Chicago International Film Festival
Cinedance Award for Best Canadian Dancefilm, Moving Pictures